Ahead of Davis’ latest outing, here are five moments that have come
to define him:

1. Breaking out the Anaconda

When Davis faced Alexander
Gustafsson at UFC 112 on April 10, 2010, it felt like a preview
of the future. Both men entered the cage undefeated. However, the
fight ended inside the first round, with Davis submitting the Swede
via anaconda choke. “Phil Davis
took his soul, took his heart [and] took his will to fight away in
under five minutes,” then-contender Jon Jones
said.

2. Taking Names

In his fourth
Ultimate Fighting Championship appearance, Davis squared off
with Tim
Boetsch at UFC 123 on Nov. 20, 2010. He finished “The
Barbarian” with a unique one-handed kimura that had never before
been executed inside the Octagon. UFC commentator Joe Rogan dubbed
the maneuver “The Mr. Wonderful” during his post-fight interview
with Davis, who was awarded a “Submission of the Night” bonus for
his efforts.

3. On the Marquee

After he defeated Boetsch, Davis found himself in the UFC Fight
Night 24 main event against Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira on March 26, 2011. He did not disappoint,
despite agreeing to face Nogueira on just six weeks’ notice. Davis
outpointed “Minotoro” across three rounds, improved to 9-0 and
showed he belonged in the upper tier of the light heavyweight
division. He went on to challenge Rashad
Evans in a 205-pound title eliminator in January 2012, losing a
unanimous verdict.

4. Dictating Terms

UFC 159 on April 27, 2013, featured two of the finest grapplers in
the sport, as Davis locked horns with decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu
practitioner Vinny
Magalhaes. A four-time NCAA All-American wrestler at Penn State
University, Davis used his skills to keep the fight standing. It
was not the most entertaining fight on record, but “Mr. Wonderful”
showed improved striking through basic but effective combinations.
More importantly, Davis made certain Magalhaes could not engage him
on the ground.

5. Striking Gold

Davis failed to secure a title fight during his five-year run in
the UFC. When he signed with Bellator, he made sure he would not
suffer the same fate. Davis entered a four-man tournament at
Bellator 142 on Sept. 19, 2015 and kicked off the competition by
submitting Newton with a kimura in the semifinals. He expected to
face Muhammed
Lawal in the final, but the latter was forced to withdraw with
a rib injury. Instead, Davis squared off with Carmont and knocked
out the Tristar Gym-trained alternate in a little more than two
minutes. The victory was supposed to set the stage for a title
fight between Davis and McGeary. However, the promotion deemed it
necessary to pair “Mr. Wonderful” with Lawal first and did so at
Bellator 154 on May 14, 2016. Davis took a unanimous decision from
“King Mo” and went on to his date with the McGeary six months
later, claiming the undisputed Bellator light heavyweight
championship with a unanimous verdict.